Bucks County Playhouse names team for revival of stage productions

Martin Griff/The TimesThe Bucks County Playhouse, now undergoing renovations, is expected to reopen for stage productions in July.

Jed Bernstein, the new president of the Playhouse Productions organization at the revived Bucks County Playhouse in New Hope, Pa., has named a senior staff of four to help resume productions at the 73-year-old theater.

Bernstein, who is also head of Above the Title Entertainment, which produces Broadway shows, plans a grand reopening on July 2 for the riverside theater that once provided apprenticeships for future stars on the Great White Way and in Hollywood.

The initial appointments are Daryl Boling as general manager, Britt Marden as director of marketing, Matthew Troillett as artistic associate and John Vivian as production manager.

All of the newly appointed staff have been associated with Bernstein in his many theatrical ventures and events in New York.

Boling arrives at the playhouse after spending the last 4½ years at New York City’s Off-Broadway Signature Theatre, where he guided the theater’s move to a new $66-million facility on West 42nd Street.

Marden has been vice president of marketing and development for Bernstein’s Above the Title Entertainment, where she heads its marketing for shows such as “Driving Miss Daisy,” and “Rated P for Parenthood.”

Troillett has been with the Above the Title Entertainment team since the fall of 2010, after stints at Manhattan Theatre Club and the West Virginia Public Theatre. Vivian most recently was the production stage manager for the show “Rent” on Broadway for more than 12 years.

“We think we have the beginnings of a terrific team whose combined talents will lead the playhouse back to its formidable position in the theatre universe,” Bernstein said.

The first production will open to previews on July 2, with a second show on Aug. 7. The initial productions, yet to be announced, will run for three to four weeks. The theater is undergoing major repairs and renovations, which will cease during July and August.

To generate funds to complete the renovations, the playhouse has launched a membership program and a Founders Club campaign. Membership benefits, which range from “first chance” ticket access and discounts to special offers at local businesses and attractions, cost $80 for individuals, $160 for families and $500 for businesses.

A Founders Club is an attempt to engage philanthropically inclined individuals to help return the playhouse to its former glory. The hope is to raise $1 million through gifts of $100,000 in support of reopening the theater.

Information on memberships and the Founders Club is available at the website bcptheater.org or by calling (215) 315-7788.